A Beginners Guide To Android Box

May 16, 2017

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A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO ANDROID BOXES

You may be in the market for a new set-top-box for your streaming needs. Most-likely you have thought about an android box. Android boxes – or ‘Kodi Boxes' as they are more commonly mislabelled have grown in popularity at an alarming rate. First of all, let's congratulate you for making it this far. But what exactly is an Android Tv Box? An android TV box is a simple set-top box that runs on an android operating system.

These boxes are much like the other brands or models of Set-top boxes. Conversely, unlike an Apple TV Box running iOS software, they run on Android Operating System. The same Android Operating System that runs on your smartphones, Tablets a countless other android devices such as Android TVs or Smart Watches. Typically Android Boxes run a slightly older Android version like Lollipop or KitKat. However, it is advisable if purchasing a new Android box to choose one running the Lollipop (5) Android Version. Some programs now require Android 5 or higher and this will make your life so much easier.

ANDROID BOX LAUNCHERS

Different android box manufacturers develop different launchers or skins to give the device a more customized feel and look. The main reason is that manufacturers are trying to make it easier to use or give it a look similar to that of Netflix. This is a very clever move on their part as the Netflix interface is so popular and widely known that it will feel familiar and comfortable for most people to use. While this is a great tactic on their part; it will also help you in your streaming journey.

There are many different launchers available and thanks to the customizability of the Android OS you can quite easily change the launcher on your android box should you not like the launcher that comes on your device or to give it a more personalised appearance. As a result of this, you have to spend some time playing to find the one that works best for you.

HOW DOES AN ANDROID TV BOX WORK?

So exactly how does an Android TV box work? Well, the box is connected to the TV, and the box can be connected to the internet via Ethernet or a Wi-Fi connection.

After the box is connected to your TV and the internet, you can install all the apps you need. For example, you can very easily install the YouTube app to stream YouTube videos. Also you can quickly head over to Ares Forum to follow links to the best free streaming apks out there.

Understanding Android TV Box

Android is an OS just like iOS or Windows, and Google created it for mobile devices. It runs on all ARM-based processors which means that it’s compatible with any box running the same hardware. Since Android OS is open source, it’s much more feasible and cheaper to manufacture hardware that is based on it.

Due to its portability and customizability, Android OS isn’t just usable on smartphones, but it can also be installed on small TV boxes running the same hardware but with better options for input and output. Android boxes can provide HDMI or component video as output. They can deliver HDMI output to your TV and give it instant HD viewing ability. They can also use a keyboard, mouse, and remote control for input.

While Android TV boxes are mainly used for the purpose of streaming video content so that users can enjoy their favorite movies and TV series on demand, it can be used for a lot more. They can run all Android apps, as discussed before, so they can do almost all tasks that you can do on your smartphone. You can install from a huge variety of apps on your Android TV box, so basically, you can perform tasks such as creating a document, checking your mail, or checking the weather.

Most-Noteworthy, these Android TV boxes are available in all sizes, shapes, and pricing formats. Similar to all things computer-related, upgraded hardware is constantly being introduced from multiple manufacturers. In the next section, we’ll cover the top ten Android TV boxes, ranging from high-end units with the fastest hardware to budget boxes. Be warned, though, that all these boxes come with their own setup as manufacturers modify the Android code to suit their boxes.

EXAMPLES OF ANDROID TV BOXES TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR

DEVICE – NVIDIA Shield TV
ANDROID VERSION – Android nougat
RAM -3GB

DEVICE – MINIX NEO U1
ANDROID VERSION –5.1.1 OS Lollipop
RAM- 2GB

DEVICE – Mini MX Quad Core
ANDROID VERSION – 5.1 OS Lollipop
RAM –2GB

DEVICE –Amazon Fire TV 2 5.1 OS
ANDROID VERSION –Lollipop
RAM -1GB

DEVICE –GooBang Doo
ANDROID VERSION –4.4 KitKat
RAM –2GB

DEVICE –Q-Box 4K 5.1 OS
ANDROID VERSION -Lollipop
RAM -2GB

DEVICE –Matricom G-Box Q2 5
ANDROID VERSION –Lollipop
RAM -2GB

DEVICE -Leelbox Q2 6.0
ANDROID VERSION –Marshmallow
RAM –2GB

DEVICE -Razer Forge TV 5.0
ANDROID VERSION –Lollipop
RAM – 2GB

DEVICE -NexBox A95X 5.1 OS
ANDROID VERSION –Lollipop
RAM -1G

TIPS

– When it comes to working out ‘What's the best box ? ……… There is only one answer…….
The ‘Best Box' is the one that can best suits your Budget.

– Before purchasing an Android Box from any source please make sure to research the seller/source you are buying from. Always check online reviews from existing customers where possible.

– It can be very tempting to fall into the trap of buying what's known as a ‘Fully Loaded Box' these are boxes that are sold already loaded with Kodi and one of the many build freely available. We at The Ares Kodi project alone have over 500 free builds available for you to download and use for our wizard (For a guide to Downloading and using our Wizard see below) Experience tells us that more often than not these so called ‘Fully Loaded' Boxes will come loaded with what is the easiest and quickest to load, not what will work best nor best suit your needs.

As you will indeed have to learn to download and maintain a build on your box at some point anyway you are better starting your learning journey at the time of you purchase. Believe me it will save you many stressful hours of trying to work out what is wrong with the Build that came pre-loaded on a box when everything starts failing because the build has not been updated from its source.

A GUIDE TO DOWNLOADING AND USE ARES WIZARD

IN CONCLUSION

As always we at Team Ares are available to help you with all your questions. We focus on loading boxes with Kodi, keeping you up to date with latest apks, and more. The team and community are here to make sure you have all you need to enjoy your new android box. For help with all your free streaming questions or technical advice visit us on Ares Forum. Whether it be a technical question or just can you advise on what I should buy we are available to you. Finally, I would like to take a moment to thank you for always being a great part of our community.